Town boss won't take any more setbacks

Rob Stocks

Steven Pressley made it clear there can be no further setbacks as Fleetwood Town battle the drop.

Town had a chance to haul themselves clear of the drop zone when they went to struggling Blackpool.

But Nathan Pond’s own goal consigned them to derby day defeat and kept them in the struggling pack at the wrong end of League One.

Pressley insists there have been improvements at Fleetwood under his six-week tenure.

And there’s evidence his high-tempo pressing game and tough stance on discipline is having an impact - back-to-back home victories over Swindon and Millwall helping them out of the bottom four.

But losing to Blackpool - who didn’t manage a single shot on goal over 90 minutes - was not part of Pressley’s battle plan and he made it clear Town can’t afford to concede any more of the high ground.

“We’re giving up very few chances in games, we really are,” he said.

“But Saturday was a game when we were behind and we had to find those chances we have been doing in recent weeks.

“We didn’t.

“There were chances, there were numerous scrambles, we hit the bar.

“But ultimately games are won by goals.

“The players have put so much into things since myself and my assistant arrived.

“I’m proud of that.

“But these are setbacks we can’t allow to happen.

“We take two steps forward and then we take one back.

“We have to gain more momentum, be more clinical and if we are to be a good team we can’t lose that type of game.”

The Fleetwood boss admits his side didn’t do enough to take the chances they created at Bloomfield Road.

David Henen’s desire to shoot from outside the box caused Fleetwood to consistently give up pressure and momentum while Tariqe Fosu’s pace wasn’t matched with quality delivery.

Pressley believes Henen, on loan from Everton and Fosu, on loan from Reading, will have learned plenty from 90 minutes in the face of a Blackpool storm.

He said: “They’ve learned League One is a difficult, difficult league.

“Regardless of your opposition that’s a fact.

“There’s no easy game in this league.

“I spoke before Saturday about Blackpool being very organised and very hard working and they didn’t disappoint in that respect.

“But I think the one think we did lack, and David who has been so creative in recent weeks with Tariqe has provided them, was those moments.

“It’s another lesson.”

Town’s players are expected to report back for duty tomorrow.

They have no game this weekend but face Morecambe in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday.